almonds

I love almonds. I eat them almost every day, and I’ve taught my grandkids to love them too. They not only taste great, they’re a healthy snack. A little expensive, maybe, but it’s an indulgence I’m willing to pay for.

Additionally, after this morning, almonds are going to remind me of the time in Numbers 17 when God once again found a way to spare his wayward people the death their sins deserved.

The people rebelled, and God swallowed the ringleaders (that’s in Numbers 16). That made the people angry, and God sent a plague that only stopped when Aaron made atonement in the tabernacle. To resolve the issue, God set up a demonstration: he had Moses plant the staffs of all the tribal leaders like they were trees. And then this, from Numbers 17:6-12:

“So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.   The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.   The Lord said to Moses, ‘Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.’ Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.   The Israelites said to Moses, ‘We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?’”

That ringing question – “Are we going to die?” – is what you hear from people who finally realize that God is God and we are just people, little ants he could crush at any time. It’s what people say when they realize they’ve been provoking that all-powerful God. I think most Christians have had that moment of realization, when their faith became real.

Because this is really what Christianity is all about: I earned death with my sins but God loved me so much he wouldn’t let me go. He found a way – not a almond tree brought to life from a dead stick, but his own son hung on a cross – for me to live. But my story is better, because instead of being barred from the Holy of Holies, I can go in any time I want.

So for me, almonds are now another reminder of my salvation. Another reason to eat them.